Big Pharma Finally Catches the Fish

In case you were wondering if you really need to start taking (more) fish oil, you can now add one more set of voices telling you it’s good for you. You’ve heard it from Josh, you’ve heard it from Melissa Urban at Whole9, you’re heard it from CrossFit, and you’re heard it from Marks Daily Apple.  Now you can hear from Big Pharma USA.

Introducing . . . Lovaza!

Of course, if you’ve watched Food, Inc. or read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, that may be more off-putting than enticing. The fact that the FDA approves of this treatment does not bring a sigh of relief. But no, just because most of what they endorse ranges from merely unnecessary to potentially bio hazardous does not mean that because they approve something you should avoid it.

At least in this instance, the FDA has something right. the Omega-3s in Fish Oil are really, really, good for you. In fact, they do something, with zero harmful side effects (other than fishy burps), that people have been trying like mad to accomplish with all kinds of nasty chemical combos: lower their triglycerides. Cholesterol, saturated fat, and triglycerides are the bugbears of the Baby Boomer generation, eliciting an astonishing level of fear and (gasp!) proactive response, a willingness to actually make changes that the rest of us would do well to imitate, only not in the form of taking statins or avoiding all fat. While recent research has stolen some of cholesterol’s thunder, and even saturated fat is beginning to be recognized as perhaps only a red herring, triglycerides still stand as the ultimate killing machine.

What a terrible situation to find ourselves in! The monster is upon us! Whatever shall we do???

But hark, what light through yonder window breaks? It is FISH OIL, and it will actually help!

Some of us can now bask in our feelings of intellectual and scientific prescience, because we’ve known about this miracle drug for months, maybe even years. Oddly enough, this medication has been approved since 2004, but Josh and I have never seen anyone reference it, anywhere.  Why is that? I’m not sure I want to know the answer.

What’s clear is that fish oil is good for you. Really, really good for you. The jury is still out on exactly how much fish oil is optimal, but everyone agrees that you should take some. At least a 1 gram of DHA/EPA per day. MDA recommends about 3 grams. Whole9 a homeostasis of about 6 grams and thinks that a higher dose at first will accelerate its benefits.

So if you’ve been dipping only your pinky toe in the fish oil pool, or if, heaven forbid, you have yet to incorporate the Mighty FO into your daily routine, let this be the final nudge that pushes you in, cannonball style.

However, you should keep in mind that fish oil does function as a blood thinner and therefore CAN be dangerous at prolonged, extremely high doses. Crossfit does caution soldiers or anyone who might be severely injured in their line of work to keep their doses on the lower side. But these worries only become an issue at levels above 6 grams for several months. So do exercise some caution; you do not need to take 30 grams a day.

But do take some. Hey, if you don’t care about silly things like your memory loss, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes, you can always take fish oil to increase your libido!